Nas & Zane Lowe Talk Illmatic & 90s New York City [LISTEN]

BBC Radio 1’s Zane Lowe continued his string of thoughtful interviews with top MCs into the new year with Rick Ross, but that was only a warm up. Today, the media personality unveiled a candid discussion with the legendary Nas.

To mark the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Queensbridge MC’s critically acclaimed debut, Illmatic, the duo discussed the people, places, and things that greatly influenced perhaps the greatest LP Hip-Hop has ever seen. Of course, one can’t mention the 10-track project without discussing New York City.

“New York wrote that album; Queensbridge specifically,” Nas said. “It [New York] was a different place. From 42nd street, Times Square, to The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, [and] Harlem. By the time the 80s hit with crack, and Nike — Nike was becoming Nike around then and adidas was becoming adidas around then.”

Pair these things with the climate of the city, and you have a boiling pot of things that Nas would discuss on Illmatic. But wait, Nas and Lowe’s conversation goes much deeper.